Victoria Pratt appointed judge, victory for the lil guy
The second best appointment Booker has made since being in office, I am so proud of this young woman!!
Litigator who uncovered corruption is sworn in as first Dominican judge in Newark
By David Giambusso/The Star-Ledger
November 07, 2009, 7:00AM
NEWARK -- Victoria Pratt, a litigator who uncovered rampant corruption in Camden schools and worked for two governors, was sworn in yesterday as the first Dominican judge to sit on the Newark city bench.
"I’m so excited about this," Pratt said, hours before being sworn in before a packed municipal council chamber. "It’s definitely a homecoming."
Pratt, 37, was born in Newark and remembers working in the downtown beauty salon her mother ran, sweeping up clippings and taking rollers out of hair. Decades later she returned to Newark to serve as counsel to city council president Mildred Crump and now takes the bench as the 11th Newark municipal judge.
"I would not trade the experience I’ve had with Victoria for anything," said Crump through tears, adding that Pratt’s wisdom, discretion and compassion were among the "litany of reasons why Victoria should become a judge."
Booker cited the same qualities saying, "She’s one of the few people in this building who is not hated by someone," and that the appointment of Pratt was an espousal of American ideals. "You give me new faith and hope," he said.
After working in the counsel’s office for governers Jim McGreevey and Richard Codey, Pratt was hired as a compliance officer for the Camden school district. She says her proudest achievement came four years when she helped uncover rampant fraud and put one principal behind bars.
Pratt said after the convictions were handed down, "they ran me out of Camden," and she returned to Newark in 2006.
As the attorney for the council president she helped draft legislation and advised the council on legal matters until she was recently appointed by Booker and unanimously confirmed by the city council.
"The Newark municipal court is like no other municipal court in the state," Pratt said, adding that it has three times the case load of the next largest city in New Jersey. "I’m incredibly excited about it."
Pratt said her experiences in government and history as an advocate will help inform her decisions on the bench, but said she has no regrets about leaving her role as a litigator.
"It’s hard to say that I’ll miss it," Pratt said yesterday. "Every challenge that I’ve had--every victory I’ve had has prepared me for this next step
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